Carter was assessed a technical foul Sunday for his takedown of the Los Angeles Lakers star early in the third quarter. On a fast break, Carter tried to hold down Bryant from flying in for a dunk. In the momentum that carried both players out of bounds, Bryant’s arm swung back, and a finger caught Carter in the eye. Carter let Bryant go with a slight push, which angered Bryant.

But while Bryant laughed it off in the postgame news conference — “That was completely unintentional,” he said — Carter said he will take action.

“I grabbed him, but once he hit me in my face . . . He’s been known to do stuff like that,” Carter said. “Right now, I’m telling (Nuggets video coordinator Jack Murphy) to get some copy of the film where he elbowed me in my face and hit me in my face again after the play was over.”

Bryant’s free throws gave the Lakers a 67-58 lead, which helped change momentum in their favor. They won 128-114.

“I just don’t want them to think it was something that happened,” Carter said. “It’s been happening every game we play them. I always get hit in my face with an elbow or something, and nothing has ever been done about it. So, I just got to keep trying to give the film to the league, and see what happens.”

Nuggets coach George Karl agreed.

“It was a bad decision (by referee) Marc Davis,” Karl said. “I think it will show very obviously on film that at the minimum, he should’ve given them both a technical. A.C., his eye was swelling in front of us as he was being given the technical foul.”